Hope and virtue

The keynote speaker at CanWrite! 2019 was author and literary agent Donald Maass. He spoke about hope -- as used to create suspense in fiction, as well as to keep us motivated on our writing journeys. I was deeply struck by his inspiring words.

Leafing through BC Bookworld this morning reminded me of his talk. I read a review of Aging of Aquarius, by Helen Wilkes. Reviewer Alan Belk discusses a thread he sees running through it, speaking of the human need for "honest self-assessment and self-appraisal" coupled with "a desire to better the lives of other people" while also helping ourselves.

Belk says that according to the idea of Aristotelian virtue, "in order to flourish as human beings," it is necessary to "balance our responsibility to ourselves with our responsibilities toward others." Sacrificing either our own well-being or that of others fails to promote a virtuous life. "And if we do not lead a virtuous life, we cannot be spiritually happy."